Vacuum cleaner nozzle brush attachment



pril 22, 1952 c. H. MacFARLAND 2,594,189

NNNNNN OR Patented Apr. 22, 1952 vAoUUM CLEANER NozzLE BnUsH ATTACHMENT i Charles H. MacFarland, Cleveland, Ohio, assignor to Scott & Fetzer Company, Cleveland; Ohio, a

corporatlon of Ohio Application April 15, 1947,,ser'iai No. 741,554

This invention relates to a brush attachment for vacuum cleaning tools and particularly to a brush attachment and fastening device to detachably mount a brush member on a vacuum nozzle.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a brush attachment and connecting device to readily convert a 'tool useful for cleaning by vacuum to a tool which cleans by a combination of brushing and vacuum.

4 Another object is to provide a connecting device useful` to permit vrapid. and easy assembly or disassembly of a brush device and avacuum tool.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent from the following detailed description accompanied by the drawings in which:

Figure l is an elevational view. with parts broken away, of a vacuum tool having a brush attachment mounted therein made in accordance with the present invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of a connecting device to permit ready attachment andremoval of the brush member; p

Fig. 3 is a top plan view, with parts broken away, of the vacuum cleaning tool shown in Fig. 1;

' Fig. 4 isen elevational view of the brush attachment;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken substantially on lines 5-5 of Fig. 3 to illustrate how the connecting device attaches to the brush member; and

Fig. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken substantially on line 6-6 of Fg. 5 to illustrate how the connecting device attaches to the vacuum cleaning tool.

In the form of invention shown inpthe drawings, a Igenerally conventional form of vacuum tool employing a fiattened elliptical nozzle member is shown, and a flattened elliptical brush member is shown as being detachably mounted within the nozzle opening. However, it is to be understood that the present invention may be applied to vacuum nozzles and cleaning tools of any desired shape. r

Looking at Fig. 1, the vacuum tool or nozzle comprises a tubular member I |whichl may be attached in any desired manner to a hose or pipe 2 leading to the fan or other vacuum producing mechanism (not shown). Tools of this general nature are generally connected to the vacuum producing mechanism by a hose in order to make the tool readily portable so that it may be carried around to clean articles of furniture. wall 4 Claims. (Cl. 15-400) surfaces and the like. The tubular member I is` integral with a nozzle portion 3 having a surface contacting rim 4 that defines the opening of the nozzle and a' passage 5 therethrough. through which dirt or other foreign material may be carried as a result of the vacuum in the hose 2.

The brush attachment is shown in Fig. 4 and may comprise a plurality of bristles 6 held by a clamping member l, which in the present instance is channel shaped with the legs of the channel pinched in to securely hold the bristles. The member 'I is an annular member which conforms to the flattened elliptical shape: at the interior of the nozzle opening defined by the rim 4 so that it may be disposed within the nozzle opening, and in this position the bristles 6 project downwardly past the rim 4 adjacent thereto.

A preferred form of the connecting device ein--` bodying the present invention is shown in Fig; 2. It has been found especially desirable to form this member from a piece of flat sheet material, although it obviously may be formed in many other ways. When formed from sheet material, it may comp-rise a central portion 8 and two pairs of oppositely extending wing portions a, a and b, b. The wing portions a, a may be formed into channel shaped spring clip portions II. adap-ted to embrace and grippingly engage the channel Shaped member 'I which holds the bristles of the brush attachment. seen in Fig. 5, the clip portions I I generally conform to the channel shape of the member 'l and may be detachably connected thereto by posi-V tioning the portions Il above the member I at,

opposite points of the annular member l, and then pushing the clip portions Il onto the member l so that it enters the channel of the member' nel clip portions II, as may best be seen in Figs.

Zland 5.

., The other pair of wing portions b, b extending" from' the central portion 8 of the spring clip member, are bent upwardly and inwardly in an' opposite direction from the. channel clip portions II to form. spring clip elements I3.

i' may be seen in Fg. 6, these spring clip elements As may best bef brush attachment connected thereto is pushed upwardly into the nozzle the post M will be received between the spring clip elements |3 which grippingly engage the post |4 and frictionally retain it therebetween. While the drawings illustrate the projection on the nozzle member as a post M, it is to be understood that this proiection might have the form yof two posts extending from opposite walls of the nozzle, or

might constitute a vane connecting the opposite walls of the nozzle. It is merely necessary to provide a projection of the proper size to 'he frictionally retained by spring clip elements '13.

It Will be seen that by the present invention a i brush attachment is provided which may be readily inserted within the'nozz'le opening of a vacuum cleaner tool to convert it from a tool which cleans by vacuum to a tool which -utilizes both a brushing action and a vacuum action; which is especially useful in cleaning articles having an lfuneven surface to which dust particles may cling, such as'fabrics with nap, upholstery orV the like.

At' the same time the brush attachment is ready removable if it is desired to 'use 'the -nozzl'e alone. To remove the brush attachment,

the spring clip element may be gripped between two fingers and pulled, to slide the'clip 'elements l'3 from the projectingpost Id.

[In the event that the bristles '6 'become worn, thejy maybe readiiy removed and replaced by sliding the annular member 1 from the spring said recess, said body having a 'projection inwardly vof said recess, a brush attachment for said nozzle comprising 'an annular'member Vand brush elements carried by said member,.said annul'ar member being positioned in said recess and said 'brush elements extending downwardly past if' saidnozzle rim, and a member for detachably connecting said attachment to the nozzle. said member having va central portion and spaced spring. clip portions at opposite ends of saidcen- Vti'al portion formed to yieldingly embrace opposed portions of said annulartmemberand a second pair of spring clip portions extending from the central portion of said member and intermediate saidfirst pair and dsposedinopposed relationship to embrace and yelding'ly grip said projection.

2. A vacuum nozzle which comprises a body having an opening therethrough and formed to provide a nozzle rim anda recess that surround the opening, said rim forming the outer wall of said recess, said body 'having a'projection inwardly of said recess, a brush attachment for said no'zzle comprising an annular member and brush elements carried by said member, said rannular member being positioned 'in said recess and said brush elements extending downwardly past said nozzle rim, and a member for detachably connecting said attachment to the nozzle, said member having a central portion, a pair of opposed Wings extending from opposite ends of said central portion and formed to provide spring clip portions to yieldingly engage saidannular member and a second pair of Wings extending upwardly and inwardly over said central portion to provide a pair of spaced leaf spring elements which yieldingly grip said projection. I

;3. `A'vacuum nozzle which comprises a body having an opening therethrough and formed to provide anozzle rim. and a recess that surround 'the opening, saidrim forming theouter Wall of said-recess, said body having a projection within said rim, a brush attachment for said nozzle com- 'prising an 'annular member and brush elements spaced downwardly opening channelshaped clips to embrace and yieldingly grip said annular member and a pair of spring'clip'portions'extending 'upwardly from said member andhdisposed in spaced opposed relationship to receive andiy'ielding'ly grip said projection.

4.V A vacuum nozzle which comprises 'a 'body having an opening therethrough and formecl to provide a nozzle rimand a recess that-surround the opening, said rim forming 4the-outer wall of said recess, said body having a projection within said rim a brush attachment for said nozzle comprising an annular member and brush elements carried by said member, said annular member being positioned in said recess and said brush elements extending downwardly past said nozzle rim, and a sheet metal member for detachable connection with said annular member and said no zzle which comprises a central i portion and spring clip portions extendingV from'ODDOsite ends of said central portion to-embrace and grippingly engage said Vannular member at opposed points and intermediate opposed 'spring :clip elements extending upwardly, inwardly and' downwardly over Vsaid-central portion to receive "therebetween and yieldingly grip said projectionb;

CHARLES H. MACFARLAND.

REFERENCES VCITED 'The Vfollowing references are of record in the fi-leof this patent: i

'UNITED STATES V'PA'TEN'I'S 

